Info Clarity

One of the great things about the world today is the amount of information out there. However, using it to help people make decisions is one of the great challenges of today. Too often information its not used, not used properly or not made accessible. This blog is about helping people make great decisions using data.

Knowing when to use data and what to use it for

We all know there are decisions where you need data to help you make them and there are decisions where data just isn't that important. This morning XKCD did a wonderful job of illustrating it. http://xkcd.com/1036/

Buying a lamp is a creative decision. Turn your eye away from the reviews and go with your heart :)

The same is true of many decisions data folks are asked to help with every day in organisations. We shouldn't be afraid to champion this strategy there, either!

Posted 30th March 2012 by David B

Add a comment

We sat down recently to talk data and insight. Here is what we talked about, plus a little video of me talking about insight at both zeebox and EMI.

So much data, so easily displayed in such a small but easy to understand format. I need say no more.

So much for trying hard to bring data to life and make it easier to use.

Waiting for a plane to take off on a cold, rainy heathrow runway just

now, a thought occurred to me about one reason I love data and helping

people use data.

It's amazing how difficult it is to make sense of large numbers. I think they really do need to be compared to something to make sense. I loved an approach that the New York Times took a couple of years back.

The following is another great example from an email forward that I just got.

... or so it might seem if you take polling results seriously.

In a recent poll, 9% of New Yorkers said they were planning to head to DC for the event. There are about 16 million adults in the New York area, suggesting 1.4 million people planned to make the trip.

There are some occasions where you need to keep your data gathering quiet!

From the excellent XKCD.

I also love this one.

There was a nice little chart in the Wall Street Journal yesterday showing clearly how central banks are racing interest rates towards zero.

I just got around to reading Science News' article on how Forence Nightingale was a pioneer in using novel and innovative charts to present data. Apparently she went to great lengths to do so in order to convince Queen Victoria of the need for social change.

Another quick post on the wedding.

Labels

If you like this you'll like:

Info Clarity Archive